Whats the endoscopy like?

[KathleenH]

Hi guys, tomorrow is my endoscopy what should I expect? They didnt really tell me.  Do they fully sedate you or is it more like a twilight zone? How long does it take? How long will I feel loopy after? Thanks!

[tessa25]

If you've ever been put under, it's like that. You go into the hospital, put on the gown, get an IV inserted, wait. Get wheeled into the operating room, put under, wake up in recovery. Always feels weird to me going to sleep in the operating room and waking up in a different room 1 second later. Easy peasy.

 

[KathleenH]

10 minutes ago, tessa25 said:

If you've ever been put under, it's like that. You go into the hospital, put on the gown, get an IV inserted, wait. Get wheeled into the operating room, put under, wake up in recovery. Always feels weird to me going to sleep in the operating room and waking up in a different room 1 second later. Easy peasy.

 

Okayy so it is like real anethesia? I know sometimes with colonoscopys they do like a light sedation. I was kinda hoping for that. Haha I always cry from anesthesia.. just a weird reaction I have. This should be a breeze though Im not too worried.. I've had two other major surgeries this year. Hopefully with this diagnosis I can make changes to my diet and prevent future problems. Thanks for replying! 

[GFinDC]

I was totally out for my recent endoscopy + colonoscopy.  But for just an endoscopy, I am not sure what they do.  Your doctor's office can tell you.  If you request it, they may do full anesthesia.  But you will probably need someone to drive you home.

[Jmg]

10 minutes ago, KathleenH said:

Okayy so it is like real anethesia? I know sometimes with colonoscopys they do like a light sedation. I was kinda hoping for that. Haha I always cry from anesthesia.. just a weird reaction I have. This should be a breeze though Im not too worried.. I've had two other major surgeries this year. Hopefully with this diagnosis I can make changes to my diet and prevent future problems. Thanks for replying! 

Here in the UK I was offered a choice, light sedation or nothing more than a spray for the throat. I went with the latter so that I could drive myself home afterwards. 

[tessa25]

I was given Propofol(sp?). That's anesthesia. It's light because it's only for 15 minutes so any reaction you typically have should be less of a reaction.

[KathleenH]

1 minute ago, tessa25 said:

I was given Propofol(sp?). That's anesthesia. It's light because it's only for 15 minutes so any reaction you typically have should be less of a reaction.

Hmm so it seems like everyone has a different experience. I guess ill find out tomorrow lol. 

[Ennis-TX]

Went in they took my vitals, had me change into a gown, hooked me up to a IV, oxygen nose thing, and a machine to monitor my heart and BP. Wheeled me in had me lay on my side and used anesthesia via the IV to put me to sleep. Came out of it feeling great, no issues and felt oddly better rested then I do with a whole nights sleep.

All in all I would say the fasting, cleanse, and all the prep is 8-10 times worse the the procedure itself. I had no after effects with my digestive tract either.

[TexasJen]

Generally, you are given conscious sedation for endoscopy (as opposed to general sedation). In general sedation, they give you meds enough to stop your own breathing. Then they hook you up to a ventilator. In conscious sedation, you are breathing on your own, but are usually given a medicine that helps you forget what happened. You can wake up during the procedure with either type (it's more likely with conscious sedation) but typically you don't remember it if you do. 

I didn't remember a thing. I was able to think mostly clearly within 5-10 min of waking up, felt well enough to stand up and walk to the car, but went home and slept for a couple of hours...... Woke up feeling a bit groggy for a couple more hours and hungry!

Good luck!

[KathleenH]

Hey guys so I had the endoscopy today. When my doctor was going into it he made it sound like all of a sudden he didnt think I had celiacs. He said my antigen levels were elevated but not super high.  When I woke up he told me that he didnt see anything that indicated celiacs with the naked eye. So he took like 5-6  biopsies  and he will see how those look. He said if it comes back negative they are going to do a DNA test to see how predisposed my DNA is. Why would he all of a sudden think I dont have it? I feel so sad today. I just want to feel better. :'( did any of you have a normal looking intestine but your biopsy was postive?

[Ennis-TX]

The villi damage can not be directly seen but under a microscope. IF the damage is really bad there can be obvious signs such as flattened folds, discoloration, inflammation, ulcers, and mucus. NOW you could have non celiac gluten intolerance, which has many of the same sickening symptoms as celiac but the villi damage and very high antibodies might not be present. In which case a gluten-free diet is also the cure and needs to be strictly followed.    Either way you might try the gluten-free diet for a months and see how your improve.

[plumbago]

18 hours ago, Ennis_TX said:

The villi damage can not be directly seen but under a microscope. IF the damage is really bad there can be obvious signs such as flattened folds, discoloration, inflammation, ulcers, and mucus. NOW you could have non celiac gluten intolerance, which has many of the same sickening symptoms as celiac but the villi damage and very high antibodies might not be present. In which case a gluten-free diet is also the cure and needs to be strictly followed.    Either way you might try the gluten-free diet for a months and see how your improve.

The gastroenterologist who did my endoscopy met with me directly after the procedure and indicated that he strongly suspected Celiac based on what he had just seen. So I think sometimes docs can tell during the procedure whether there is villi blunting or not. Microscopic examination then confirms it.  There are youtube videos showing normal vs flattened villi.